Harrah's Philadelphia: Andrew McCarthy sweeps Simpson series

Driver Andrew McCarthy guided all three winners in divisions of the $96,801 Hardie Hanover, the John Simpson Sr. Memorial stake for 3-year-old pacing fillies that was raced Wednesday afternoon at Harrah's Philadelphia. Two divisions of the $86,600 Elma, the companion Simpson stake for sophomore trotting fillies, were also contested.

Fastest among the three McCarthy winners, all of whom were heavy favorites, was the Captaintreacherous miss Marloe Hanover, who made the top at the quarter, then powered home in 27 2/5 to be 5 3/4 lengths ahead of the nearest opposition at the end of a 1:50 4/5 mile. Nifty Norman conditions the winner of $413,273 for the Let It Ride Stables Inc.

Captaintreacherous scored another sire's credit with Going Gone Hanover, whose path to victory was much more difficult. Gaining the lead from Shouldabeenatd past the opening turn, Going Gone Hanover had that rival on her back until the stretch and then gaining inch-by-inch on her late, but the winner withstood her determined rival by a neck in 1:51 3/5. In doing so, "Going Gone" upped her career bankroll over six figures for trainer Brett Bittle and Yankeeland Partners LLP.

The Art Major filly Precious Alexis notched her third straight victory as part of the McCarthy sweeping triple, and she took a new mark of 1:51 4/5 in doing so after moving to the front going past the stands. Ed Gannon Jr. conditions the improving miss, who won by 2 1/2 lengths, for Zippett Racing Stable.

Contrasting with the pacing stakes, where the favorite won each time, both of the trotting events went to the crowd's second choice.

In the first section, the Donato Hanover filly Dip Me Hanover came within 2/5 of a second of the divisional track record when she recorded a 1:53 victory. No Mas Drama, who had $9 more wagered on her to win than the winner, made a huge 27-second charge down the backstretch to try to get the lead but pacesetting Hannah denied her the crossover. After the first-over No Mas Drama faded then broke, Dip Me Hanover came out of the pocket and beat the leader by 1 3/4 lengths, raising her earnings to $377,934 for trainer Linda Toscano and the partnership of the trainer's Camelot Stable Inc., Dreamville Stable, and R-And-I Farms LLC.

The $500,000 yearling Fifty Cent Piece certainly brought her "A" game to Philly on Wednesday, racing first-over yet still striding away to a 2 1/2 length triumph in 1:53 4/5, her own last half in 56 seconds to be the only winner on the 14-race card to not be against the pegs when the field turned down the backstretch. Mattias Melander guided the daughter of Muscle Hill to the anti-bias victory for trainer/brother Marcus Melander and the S R F Stable.

McCarthy and George Napolitano Jr., the track's leading driver, led the sulkysitters' colony with three successes on the afternoon; posting a pair of training scores were Ron Burke and Gilbert Garcia-Owen, 1-2 in the Philly standings.

-edited release (Harrah's Philadelphia/PHHA)